A / N: Hey there! This is Vittorio Fedele and I have finished my very first story, now translated in English! Since we celebrated MAR10 Day, what better way to start than with a one-shot dedicated to my favorite video game character? I hope you enjoy!
In the Mushroom Kingdom, ruled by Princess Peach, it seems to be a day like any other. However, it is not a common day: it was March 10th. On that day, the hero of the kingdom, Mario Mario, is celebrated, because that day is like a pun between the date and Mario's name: MAR10 Day.
Our hero is currently at his home near Peach's Castle. Mario is a human plumber. Because of his slightly swollen belly, some may define him as fat, but that's not true, although he's still short and slightly overweight. He has clear, slightly tanned skin, a large round head, a large round nose, black eyebrows, thick black mustache, blue eyes like sapphires, and short brown hair, with three locks covering his forehead, four more that they cover the nape of his neck, and a small bud-shaped tuft on the top of the head, and his neck is very short and barely visible due to the position of his chin combined with his large head. His black mustache is considered luxurious by many, and for this reason, someone could mistake him for a middle-aged man or at least forty years old, but in reality, he is only a young adult, since he is only twenty-four years old.
After taking a shower, brushing his teeth and combing his mustache, he starts dressing in his daily clothes: to start with, white socks with green stripes, then a red long-sleeved shirt, and blue trousers, then he puts on a work overalls of the same color with matching straps and yellow buttons, then a pair of brown shoes, a pair of white gloves and finally a red hat with the 'M' sewn on it.
Mario has a younger twin brother, Luigi. In appearance they are very similar and share many physical characteristics, such as the eye color and the same clothes, but with slight differences: despite being younger than Mario, he is taller and slimmer, his neck is longer, his head is ovoidal rather than round, his jeans, complete with overalls, and his shoes, are slightly darker in color, his mustache is straighter and smoother, and he wears a green shirt and hat instead of red, and with an 'L' sewn on. Mario and Luigi have been wearing their respective hats since they were babies, and are like good luck charms for them. The two have a strong brotherly bond, often going together on adventures and to save Princess Peach from the Koopa King, Bowser, who feels unrequited love for her and kidnaps her continuously in order to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom. Their first adventure there began by chance: while the two brothers were doing their plumbing work in Brooklyn, a neighborhood of New York, they ended up in a pipe that led them to the Mushroom Kingdom, where they discovered a curse on the Toads, the mushrooms that inhabited the kingdom and in particular the capital, Toad Town, defeated Bowser for the first time, and saved Peach, who broke the curse. Since then, they decided to stay and built a modest house near the castle.
While Mario is brave, cheerful and determined, Luigi is much more sensitive than his brother, to the point of bursting into tears if something upsets him a lot, and in addition to having low self-esteem and being unsure of himself, he is easily frightened, suffering from phasmophobia, the fear of ghosts, although he has faced it several times to save Mario, and the ghosts (the friendly ones that he can tolerate) scare him less since he adopted the Polterpup, a ghost dog. Because of these flaws, the Toads criticize him and compare him to Mario, pushing him into his shadow and thus leaving him diminished or even forgotten in the eyes of others. Being brothers, Mario and Luigi are sometimes competitive and there are times when they fight, but they always make peace, and despite the difference in fame, Luigi knows that his brother deserves it fully, and he doesn't mind, but he is still afraid of being forgotten.
After getting dressed, Mario smelled something coming from downstairs, so he left the bedroom he shares with his brother and went down to the kitchen to reach Luigi, who was preparing pancakes for breakfast. He always really liked Luigi's cooking, and he considers him the best cook between the two: when he was at home and Mario was on an adventure alone, he tidied up the house and prepared dinner, and then welcomed him with a delicious dish of homemade pasta, from spaghetti and meatballs to ravioli, from lasagna to cannelloni in the oven.
''Good morning, Luigi!'' greeted Mario.
''Good morning, Mario! Happy MAR10 Day!'' said Luigi, who immediately interrupted what he was doing to greet his older but shorter brother, wrapped his arms around his neck and gave him a small kiss on the cheek (don't get this in the wrong way, in family, kisses, usually on the cheek or even on the forehead are common to show affection, same speech for hugs), and Mario returned the hug, with his arms wrapped around Luigi's back.
''Thanks, little bro!'' said Mario, before giving Luigi a kiss on the cheek, and the two brothers started having breakfast, not before the elder noticed that the pancakes had the shape of his face.
''Wait, that's us on those pancakes!'' he exclaimed.
''Yup! I went to sleep late tonight because I helped others prepare for the party that will be there today. But it was worth it, and these pancakes are made for you.'' replied Luigi.
''Thanks, Luigi. You always think of others before yourself, which is also why I love you.''
''I love you too, big bro. Hey, remember Sonic and Tails? They will come to the party too!'' said Luigi.
Sonic and Tails came from another world, Mobius, inhabited by various animals, including the Mobian, anthropomorphic animals. Sonic, a 15-year-old Mobian, is a blue hedgehog with his arms, the inside of his ears, his chest and his peach-colored muzzle wearing red sneakers and white gloves, and his best friend and adopted brother Tails, was an 8-year-old yellow and white fox, nicknamed like this for his two tails that he had from birth and is very intelligent for his age, being a child prodigy. Sonic was a rival of Mario, but since the third Super Smash Bros. tournament, ''Brawl'', and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, they have become good friends, and Tails has found a new friend in Luigi. They live in a house in Mystic Ruins, but thanks to a pipe that connects the two worlds, they can move from Mobius to the Mushroom Kingdom and vice versa at any time.
''Oh yeah! I remember them! This summer there are the second Olympics in Tokyo, Japan! I can't wait to go there!'' said Mario, excited for the Olympics in Tokyo, which had already taken place 56 years earlier, in 1964, and this summer, they would take place there again.
''Me too! I can't wait to visit Tokyo, it's huge! Do you think it will be like the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and the 2016 Olympics in Rio?'' asked Luigi, also excited.
''I'm sure of it, I loved those places!'' replied Mario.
After 5 minutes, they finished eating the pancakes, and it was 9 in the morning.
''Hey Mario. I just remembered that they have almost finished preparing the party as of now.'' said Luigi.
''Really?'' asked Mario.
''Of course, let's go to Peach's Castle! The party takes place there!'' replied the man in green.
On the way, they met Yoshi, a green dinosaur of the species with his name, and an old friend of theirs, who asked them to join him at the castle, then he ran away at high speed. Upon entering the castle, they were greeted by Toadsworth, and they found Peach. She is the same age as Mario and is taller than both him and Luigi, she wears a pink dress with a blue brooch and has long blonde hair and round blue earrings. She and Mario are currently engaged, but a fiasco that happened on the Moon during one of the plumber in red's last adventures had caused tension, although she forgave him.
''Hi, Mario!'' said Peach, who gave Mario a kiss on the nose, making him blush, then did the same with Luigi.
''Oh, good morning, princess.'' replied Mario, still red as a tomato.
''I see that Luigi is with you too. Come on, the others are already waiting for you.''
They also met Daisy, the princess of the neighboring kingdom of Sarasaland and a close friend of Peach. Compared to Peach, her hair is shorter and brown rather than blonde, she wears an orange dress instead of pink, the brooch and earrings are in the shape of a flower and she is shorter than her, but taller than Mario and as tall as Luigi, if not marginally taller. The plumber in red rescued her after Peach gave him the news that an alien, Tatanga, had kidnapped her, then introduced her to Luigi. Although he was shy and insecure while she was enthusiastic and tomboyish, opposites ended up attracting each other, so they got engaged and often spend time together.
''Hey there, Luigi!'' Daisy greeted Luigi and kissed him on the cheek, making him blush. ''Peach and the others told me about today's party for Mario. Thanks for helping with the preparations.''
''H-Hi, Daisy.'' Luigi greeted, still embarrassed. ''Well, let's go in, there are the others inside.''
As soon as the door opened, screams of joy came from the Toads, and lots of red decorations could be seen. There were many people: Wario and Waluigi, the rivals of the Mario brothers, Yoshi, the ape Donkey Kong III, grandson of the first Donkey Kong, Cranky, and ally of Mario, his nephew Diddy, Toad, Blue Toad, Yellow Toad and other friends Mario had made, including Sonic and Tails.
Yoshi hugged Mario and licked him affectionately with his tongue, leaving a message in his language.
''Thanks Yoshi, you are a true friend.'' Said Mario, who had understood Yoshi anyway.
''Hey Mario! Long time no see! Tails told me that Luigi and the others were planning a party for you. Happy MAR10 Day!'' said Sonic, before giving Mario a fist-bump.
''Hello, Sonic! Thank you! How nice to see you! I can't wait to go to Tokyo with you for this summer's Olympics!'' exclaimed Mario, happy to see his friend, then, they shook each other's hand as a sign of mutual respect.
''Me neither! I look forward to that day with trepidation! Too bad we couldn't go to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyongyang.'' replied Sonic.
Among both the summer and winter Olympics from 2008 onwards, Mario, Sonic and their friends took part in all editions except the winter ones in Korea in 2018, although they took part in those in Sochi, in European Russia, in 2014. When they learned that they could not take part in the Pyongyang Winter Olympics, they were all sad and disappointed.
''I know, what a pity, I would have liked to go to Korea.'' said Mario.
''Hey Mario! Best wishes!'' said Tails, who flew to Mario to greet him and gave him a hug.
''Thanks Tails. I really appreciate it.'' said the hero in red, then hugged Tails briefly, before the fox went to greet Luigi.
''Hi, Luigi!'' he said.
''Hi, Tails!'' said Luigi, who hugged Tails. ''Thank you for coming. Mario will like it very much.''
''A friend of yours is also a friend of your brother.'' said Tails.
Wario and Waluigi, albeit a little listless, shook hands with their respective rivals out of respect, and DK and Diddy joined them too. Although it doesn't seem like it, Mario and DK have the same age. The gorilla playfully took the young man's hat and rubbed his fist on his head with a noogie, ruffling his chocolate-colored hair, then gave him one-armed hug, although being careful not to hold him too tight because of his natural strength, and Diddy also joined, and they said something in their ape language.
'Thanks, Donkey Kong. You too, Diddy.'' said Mario.
''DK said he is happy to know a caring man like you, and Diddy thinks the same,'' said Luigi, who had "translated" their message.
''I'm glad to hear it.'' said Mario.
In addition to Rosalina and her Lumas, Luigi recognized a short and squat figure: it was Professor E. Gadd, who had helped him save Mario when he had to face the ghosts, and there was also Polterpup with him. The ghost dog jumped into the two brothers's arms and licked their cheeks as a sign of affection, making them laugh.
''Hey, Mario. Your brother told me about this day for you, so best wishes!'' said Professor E. Gadd.
''Thank you Professor. I'm glad you came here.'' replied the man in red.
Cappy was also here, alongside his sister Tiara. Cappy had accompanied Mario on one of his best-known adventures to save Peach and Tiara, who Bowser wanted to use as a wedding diadem.
''Best wishes, Mario!'' Cappy shouted, then flew to Mario and hugged him as best he could with his small arms.
''Oh, thanks, Cappy, you are a true friend.'' said Mario, holding the hat-shaped spirit tightly.
There was also a brunette woman wearing a red dress. It was Pauline, an old friend of Mario, who. when visiting New Donk City, discovered that she became the mayor of the city, and after Bowser was cast out, she composed with her band a song dedicated to the plumber in red, '' Jump Up, Superstar! ''. Once she arrived at the party, she greeted Mario and congratulated him.
Bowser was also present, along with his son Bowser Jr., and there were also the Koopalings, Ludwig, Morton, Iggy, Wendy, Roy, Lemmy and Larry, and shook Mario's hand as a sign of respect, telling him that he had chosen the right man as a rival.
Peach arrived with a large cream and strawberry flavored cake with the word MAR10 Day and an image of Mario on the top layer. The princess often invites Mario to the castle to eat some cake, and he loves her cooking, considering Peach the best baker he knows.
Mario took off his hat and bowed. ''Oh, Peach, your cakes never cease to amaze me.'' He murmured, ecstatic at the appearance of the cake.
She laughed a little and kissed him on the forehead, making him all red from embarrassment as he had been kissed in front of everyone, and hoped that Bowser would not cause controversy for this. Fortunately, this was not the case.
Anyway, after everyone ate the cake, the time came for Mario to make a speech. He picked up the microphone and started talking.
''So, this is a special day, they all know me here, I am not surprised that it is dedicated to me. What I want to say is: Thank you. Thank you so much to all of you for making me who I am, to my enemies, for giving me a good cause to fight for, in Sonic, for the healthy competition we had in the Olympics, in Yoshi, for being a good friend, for Peach, who with his people welcomed me warmly to the Mushroom Kingdom, and to Luigi, who has always been by my side when I needed it, has always thought of others first and who has always shown loyalty to me. Thank you, all of you!'' said Mario, who was moving.
The speech ended, and was greeted by various applauses. Mario then went to give a hug to all those present, including his enemies, who did not protest, but instead returned the gesture. When Bowser Jr. felt the man's arms around his small body, he felt warmth. It was not like being in his father's arms, but almost, it was still a warm and meaningful hug.
''Jr., be good with your father. And the same goes for your brothers.'' said Mario, after he put Bowser Jr. back on the ground. Bowser and his children all chuckled.
Outside the castle, the crowd lifted Mario and threw him into the air several times, with the song "Jump Up, Superstar!" playing in the background. Everyone began to scream with happiness.
''HOORAY FOR MARIO!''
''LONG LIVE MARIO!''
Then, at the end of the song, Mario jumped up and striked a pose.
''YAHOOOOOO!'' He screamed with joy.
The party lasted for some time, until Mario and Luigi saw that it was already noon and had to go home.
''What a party it was, huh?'' asked Mario.
''You bet. Considering that you are the hero, you absolutely deserved it.'' said Luigi.
''Thanks, but you're a hero too. You are not taken into consideration as you would like, but you always remain my hero. I love you, Luigi.'' replied the older brother before giving Luigi a hug, which the younger sibling returned.
''I love you too, Mario. Well, we'll have lunch soon. How about a sandwich?'' asked Luigi.
'Okay, we ate a lot anyway.'' said Mario.
''Oh, big bro, always thinking about food, aren't you?'' asked Luigi jokingly.
The two bros laughed. For Mario, it was a fantastic party, and he will never forget it.
A/N: This story is over. I hope you enjoyed it, support me if you want to see more. See you next time!